Bottle-rinsing machine.



KIYIEFER.

BOTTLE RINSING MACHINE. APPLICATION rum) JUNESO, 1911.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

inventor m'tnas ses K. KIEFER.

BOTTLE, RINSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION rum) nnuzso, 1911.v

I K. KIEPER.

BOTTLE RINSING MACHINE.

I APYLIQATXON I'ILED JUNE 30, 1911.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

4 SKEETSSHEET 4.

v m u m 4 Maw,

A j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL KIEFER, or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

' fication.

sorrrs musme MACHINE b all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL Kim-ER, a citizen of the United-States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Rinsing Machincs,'of which the following is a-speci- My invention relates to washing apparatus, and has for its object the simplification of the construction and operation of machines of this character, as well, as to add to i the efficiency of such machines. both in the mechanical operation and in the conduit of the'water to and'tro n the articles operated upon. p v

My invention consists in the parts and in the details ofeonstruction and arrangement of parts,- as Wlll herelnafter be more fully described and'claimed. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a general plan view of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the upper part of the same, comprising the part of the apparatus that rinses the outsides ot the bottles. Fig. 3 is a front-to-rear -verti-' eal'section on the line to of'Fig. 1, a motor for driving the machine being illustrated in elevation, and the operative connection therefrom to the. machine driving apparatus being'in'dicated by broken lines. Fig. t is a plan view of one of the stems. Fig. 5 is a partial side elevation of the same-surrounding parts being shown in section, and parts being shown as broken away for lack of space. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the upper part of thestcm and its nozzle. Fig. 7 is awpartial horizontal section of the ma{ chine on the line-mot Fig; 3, showing the driving n cchanism,--as well as the motor and the operative connection therefrom, in full plan view. Fig."8 isa' vertical section of the connection head and connection hub, and adjacent parts, enlarged. on the line "w of Fig. 1, aforementioned. Fig.19 is a bottom plan view of the connection hub, with Specification 0! Letters Patent. i

' connection therewi ingthe rotary distributing device 2 above, and supporting the driving mechanism 3 be- Patented A r.2, 1'912j.. application filed June 30, 1911. Serial Ito. 636,203. i

low; this head 1 is, in turn, supported in the '4 I eentralopening of the drainage tank 4:, with which it has watertight connection, and the' drainage tankis supported directly on the stand 5, which consists in a base 5' with three upright columns 5 secured to the bot tom of the drainage tank. A bracket 6 is adjustably secured on the rear'one of the.

columns 5". and supports a motor 7, which is preferred for driving the machine. The drainage tank 4 carries hood 8 on its upper rim at the rear of the machine, embracing and covering somewhat less than half of the extent of the drainage tank; this hood has a' central distributing pipe 9-'extending from front -to rear at the top, and supplied by a supply pipe 9 leading up the side of the machine and horizontally into the. hood at "the front there'ofi. A splash so that an approximately equal open space is left at each side. Y

' The connection .plate 8 depends from the top of the hood in front. closingabout one-third of the extent of the otherwise open front of the hood, 1

head is the nucleus of the apparatus. It comprises, centrallyphnlong,

vertical bearing hub 1 for the 'drivin' shaft 2, which shaft extends.- enlarge thereabove, and has the connection hub 2" rigidly'attached by a set screw; below, this shaft 2 has the spur gear 3 rigid thereon, by which it is rotated. Adjacent the lower end of the connection head 1, a yoke 3 with lateral arms 3? and a rear arm 3"",1s fitted on a reduced part 3. of said connection head, *and is -held ther'eon'by set screws.

Thelateral armsB carry bearings fora-- transverse worm shaft 3, andthe rear arm 3 supports a depending stil d 3, upon which rotate. rigidly and concentrically attached to each other, a pinion 3'-and a worm wheel 3; the pinion is above, and meshes with the spur gear 3', and the worm wheel, below,

meshes with aworm 3 on the 'worm shaft 3. This worm shaft 3has, at one. side of.

the driving mechanism, a belt wheel 3", which'has a belt 3} passing around it and around a pulley 7 of the motor 7. By this means, the high speed of the motoris reduced to a slow speed of rotationof the connecting hub 2" and the rest of the rotary distributing device.

For supporting the hub .3 and forming th'to supply water to the the central part of the device. The drainage driving mechanism 3, under the tank. The

otary distributing dc'viec,-the connection head has the bearing plate- 1 fitting down around a reduced-upper part of the connection head, and supported upon the radial wings 1", integral with the hub 1 of the head and with the concentric circular drainage flange l about midway of the vertical length of the hub 1'. Itis this drainage flange I that supports the head 1 in the drainage tank 4, being bolted therein and having a gasket 1" between it am the adjacent annular recess around the pening in the tank and having its upper surface even with the inwardly sloping bottom of the tank. The wings I" have openings 1" through them where they join the flange 1 to facilitate the drainage away from outlet 1 is provided in the flange 1", between two of the wings 1" at one side at the front, and leads out and down over the water inlet 1 is at the rear and consists in a hollow lug below thev flange 1", and integral with it and with the central hub 1' of the head; it leads above the flange -1', in the form-of a vertical hollow lug, integral with the flange and thecenter hpb l, and forming an enlargement of the rear oneof the wings I". -The bearing plate 1. has an opening 1" porn'lancntly alined with the interior of the inlet 1; it flares upwardly, ciu-umferentially of the plate 1 as shown in Fig. 10. The inlet pipe 1 leads into the side of the inlet 1 and connects with its hollow interior. This pipe 1 and thepipe 9 of the upper distributing device are branches of the main supply pipe 10, and it, and said branches, as well, are suitably eontrolled'by means of valves, as in- 'dicated. v

The connection. hub 2 has an extended fiat lower surface bearing on the bearing plate 1, and is, as here shown, octagonal, affording flat sides to which the eight radial distributing conduits 2 are attached; This hubQ" has angular passages 2 formed by radial passages inward from the sides, joining vertical passages opening, downward through the bearing surface which thehub has on the bearing plate 1, and adapted to successively aline with the inlet opening of the plate 1; The degree to which the inlet opening 1" in the bearing plate 1 flares upwardly, as hereinbefore alluded to, determines, in connection with the rotative speed of the distributing device, the duration of flow of water into theradial distributing conduits 2, which have their interior passages alined with the radial parts of the angular passages 2. As may be noted, the reduced upper part of the con-' nection head, that the plate 1 fitsdown around, also extends up-int0 an enlargej thc connecting hub. The full bearing of bearing plate 1". For the purpose of thus for the mechanical operation and a watertight connection for the intermittent water supply, the lower surface of said hub 2" diameter and radial width such that it empassages 2" and leaves a substantial space radially 'cxtendedtherefrom on both sides of each of them. This undercut channel 11 is filled with a suitable gasket material 11;

metal, such as Babbitt metal, used in machinery bearings. This fillingofthe chan nel thus presents a gasket surface all around in the immediate vicinity of the openings narrower open side of the. channeL. The rest of the lower' surface of the hub, radially inwardly and outwardlyof the gasket .surface, and flush therewith, may consist in the material of the hub, such as cast iron,

small radial grooves therein, supplied with lubricant from-cups-12. Whatever the material of the hub thus presented as a bearplate'lf will be such that the surface of the plate will afford a bearing with these surtion. iron, the plate 1"may be of bronze. The material of the plate is presented throughout to both the bearing surfaces of the hub and lar metal sustaining a minimum of corrosion under the action of water, is suitable for the materialrof the plate, with respect to its contact with the gasket surface of the hub. peculiar to their functions, they are confined-t0 those functions by concentric anone of said grooves extending around just inside, away from the inner edge of the gasket surface on the hub 2, and the other surrounding said surface just outside, away -from the outer edge thereof. These down throughthe plate 1, between the wings -1", onto the drainage flange 1*. These grooves thus drain any water that does escape from the sliding gasket connection between the inlet 1" and the angular passages 2 and prevent such water from flowing out onto the bearing surfaces of the hub and head! Likewise, these grooves prevent the lubricant from'flowing from said bearing surfaces onto the gasket surface, aided by the repellent effect which ment 2 of the central bearing opening of the water has on the lubricant. Any small the distributing device is imposed on thehas the undercut annular channel 11, of

braces the lower openings of the angular,

this material may be suitable compositionhub. Thus having different surfaces on the I constituting the contacting surfaces of the a plate 1 and the hub :2 a bearing contact- '85 i of thepassages 2, of the extent of the-lower and these parts-of the surfaces may have ing, and thus lubricated, the material of the faces of the hub with ,a minimum of fric- For instance, if the hub be of cast 'to the gasket thereof; thus, bronze or siminular groove 11! in the bearing'plate 1,

ooves 11" are drained through small holes 11*" amount oflubricant that may enter the vision against leakage through the bearing is the extension of the upper part of the con nection head up into the enlargement 2 of the central bearing opening of the connecting hub. Since the pressure on such water as does escape past the channels 11 is practically reduced to oil, this extension of the head will prevent the leakage of water to the shaft without the use of any stuffing box or other packing means around the shaft; the gravitational action on the water is sufficient to counteract such leakage, where the upward extension is combined with the horizontal bearing surfaces. The

long bearing of the driving shaft 2 in the head 1 is lubricated from the cup 2" at its upper end above the hub 2".

The eight radial distributing conduits 2, attached to the sides of the hub 2", each have three branches 2, of their interior passages are closed by plugs 2*, which, when removed, allow access to the passages. These branches have the upper bosses 2, into which are screwed the stems 13 that enter the bottles. A binding ring 2 extends around between the two inner series of stems and is rigidly attached to all of the conduits 2. The open spaces at the sides of the hood 8 are so propor-' tioned that the successive groups of stems pass in under the hood nearthe middle of the space on one side and out near the middle of the space on the other side. The

' inlet 1 in the bearing plate 1 is so located,

and so proportioned, that the discharge of water through the passages and out through the tubes will be limited to the period when the tubes are passing thus through said hood 8. Thus all the rinsing is done under the hood, leaving the rest of the machine freely accessible for inserting and removing the bottles, and effecting economy in water and protecting the ope 'ator against the splashing of the rinsing operation. The adjustment of the bottles to the stems, so as to secure uniformity of distribution of the rinsing water inside the bottles, is effected by-means of the vertically adjustable bottle supporting segments 14. Drainage open ings 14. are provided in the segments around and concentric with the .stems 13. These segments 14 are supported on a ring 14:,and this supporting ring 14 has vertical legs 14 rigidly secured to it. which extend down through holes in the binding ring; these legs havetransverse holes 1 1* lowed with the use of and the outer ends in them, and pins correspondingly diiferent holes in the several legs, to rest on the binding ring 2", and thus afford vertical adjustments of the segments 14. Each stem 13 has a nozzle 13 in its upper-end, having a series of upwardly divergent in divergent streams throughout the inside of the bottle.

The general simplicity of the design is largely permitted by the arrangement althe novel connection between the head and the hub, and the durability of the machine in its most vital part s increased b v'the self-protective bearing thus provided between the two relatively movable parts. i

Having fully described my invention, what I claim new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1.In a loottle-rinsing machine, connection elements one of which is rotatable with respect to the other, a shaft passing through the elements and having a bearing in one of them, said elements having registering orifices, and one of said elements having a relief opening to divert water, escaping from the registering orifices, away from the bearing of the shaft.

2, In a bottle-rinsing machine, connection elements one of which is rotatable with respect to the other, a shaft passing through the elements and having a bearing in one of them. said elements having a bearing betweenthem, one of them having annular grooves in its bearing surface with relief openings leading therefrom, and the elemerits having orifices re istering within a region between grooves, said relief openings leading from said annular grooves being adapted to divert water, escaping from the registering orifices, away from the bearing Q e of the shaft.

In a. hottle-rinsing machine, connection.

elements one of which is rotatable with respect to theother. a shaft passing through the elements, and having a bearing in one of them, said elements having a hearing between them and the bearing surface of one of the elements having a part composed of gasket material flanked radially by parts c nnposed of moredu'rable material, and the elements having orifices registering within the limits of the part composed of gasket material, and one of said elements having relief openings to divert water, s-

caping from the registering orifices past said gasket surface, away from the bearing of the shaft.

4. In a bottle-rinsing machine, connection elements one of which is rotatable with respect to the other, a shaft passing through the elements and having a bearing in one of them, said elements having a hearing between them, and one of said elements having holes 13, directing water- 1t are passed through divert water, escaping from the registering orifices, away from the bearing contact of the elements and from the bearing of the shaft.

5. In a bottle-rinsing machine, a connection head comprising a central vertical bearing hub, a horizontal drainage flange surrounding the bearing hub, radial undercut wings above the flange, and a bearing plate supported above and upon said hub and said wings. the head Having a supply passage opening through said plate, and the plate having means for draining its upper surface to saidflange between said wings.

6. In a bottle-rinsing machine, a connection head comprising a central vertical bearing hub, a horizontal drainage flange surrounding the bearing "hub, with means for supporting the head in the machine,

\ means for supporting a bearing plate above and upon said hub whereby the upper surface of said plate may be drained to said drainage flange. and an extension to said hub, below the drainage flange, to support a driving mechanism for said machine.

7. In a bottle-rinsing machine, in c0mbination with a rotatable connection hub having a series ,of connection orifices and an annular gasket-part within the limits of which the orifices are located, a connection head having a bearing for the hub and having a supply orifice registering intermittently with the orifices in the hub, the bearing having annular grooves embracing the gasket part of the hub radially, and having openings from the grooves to drain them.

8. In a bottle-rinsing machine, connection elements, one of which is movable with respect to the other, with a bearing between them omposed of a part having a waterretaining and lubricant-excluding surface rigidly joined to a part having a surface adapted to make bearing contact and to be lubricated, and said surfaces of said rigidly joined parts being opposed .by a surface adapted to co-act with them with a' mini mum, respectively, of corrosion and of friction. said opposing surface being discont nuone from its contact with one of said rigidly joined parts to its contact with the other of ing a horizontal bearing between them, and

having orifices registering within the limits of their horizontal bearing, a shaft extending vertically through the elements, one of the elements having an annular opening around the shaft, and an extension on the other elementQaround the shaft, extending into the annular opening, whereby leakage from the registering orifices to the shaft is gravitationally counteracted.

10. In a bottle-rinsing machine, connection elements one of which is rotatable with respect to the other having a bearing be tween them and having orifices registering within the limits of their bearing, a shaft extending centrally through the elements, one of the elements having an annular opening around'the shaft, and an extension on the other element, around the shaft. extending into the annular opening in the other element, and one of the elements havin relief spaces diverting water, escaping from the registering orifices, away from the shaft, said extension counteracting leakage of water from said relief spaces to said shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

KARL KIEFER. 'Witnesses:

CLARENCE Pnmnw, O'r'ro -mxnmsmivx. 

